Macfrut 2023 is strengthening its presence abroad

Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fresh produce sector to be held at the Rimini Expo Centre (Italy) from 3 to 5 May, recently wrapped up the last leg of its international presentation tour in South Africa and Zimbabwe after travelling to 20 countries around the world, including Central and South America, Africa and Eastern Europe. The tour kicked off in September last year with a presentation press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then continued across Africa (Cameroon and Egypt in October and Mali in January). All these countries will be attending Macfrut 2023 in a collective stand, with more exhibitors expected to participate than last year. As part of the trade mission in Egypt, a three-year agreement was also signed between Macfrut and Expolink, the Egyptian Exporters Association. The subject of the agreement is the inclusion of Macfrut among the association’s leading trade fairs, along with the participation of 15 Egyptian exporters in the 2023 edition of Macfrut.  The trade missions to Central and South America (Chile and Peru in November, Dominican Republic in December and Venezuela in January) focused on the Latin American Days, to be held at Macfrut. In fact, the upcoming edition of the trade fair will shine a spotlight on Latin America, which will have its own pavilion with workshops, show cooking sessions and B2B meetings. Mexico and El Salvador will participate as exhibitors for the first time. There will also be a large number of participants from Colombia, with more than 40 exhibiting companies, as well as from Chile and Peru, including blueberry growers. The Dominican Republic will double the amount of exhibition space compared to previous editions, and Venezuela will also be present with about 10 participating companies, building on last year’s positive experience; in fact, it attracted a lot of attention because it attended Macfrut for the first time and, especially, because it opened up to the world after going through difficult times due to the US trade embargo (2015).  ‘Macfrut’s international tour saw in-person presentations being held in 20 countries around the world, including Central and South America, Africa and Eastern Europe,’ explains Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut. ‘It was a huge effort, which shows just how much this trade fair is growing internationally thanks to ICE-Italian Trade Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and several international bodies and institutions. The diversity of Macfrut was acknowledged and appreciated by all: it is not only a business trade fair, but also an opportunity for sharing knowledge and networking that brings many countries together. This is our strength and is what makes us stand out.’ Macfrut will be held from 3 to 5 May 2023 at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy.